Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: The Mayor and Interest
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Late night.
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, Neo Incheon's nightscape spread out like stars.
Under those countless lights, how many humans were desiring, dreaming, and despairing?
Neo Incheon City Hall stood still.
The blood of power—the city hall staff—had all returned to their homes and fallen into shallow sleep.
Of course, its heart, Mayor Lee Garam, was no different.
But only one place remained.
Right next to the mayor's office, the chief secretary's office alone poured out light.
Seria.
The artificial glow from the numerous monitors on her desk dyed her light pink hair in strange hues.
Her cold gaze was fixed on the screen straight ahead.
On the screen, a silent comedy was playing.
A man appeared. Lee Garam. Her mayor.
With a ridiculous expression, he desperately danced a courtship like a clumsy male peacock. Flashing a sleazy smile, sending sticky glances, and with touches as awkward as could be.
And the woman on the screen brushed off every single one of those touches lightly, like a ghost.
A pantomime of a dull bear and the butterflies toying with him.
Bear. Lee Garam.
Butterfly. Seria Park. Herself.
Whoosh. Swish. Stroke.
The man's hands never once touched the woman's body, slicing only empty air.
Seria clicked the replay bar, looping that scene from a few hours ago dozens of times.
Fast-forward, slow motion, even frame by frame.
Resting her chin, she thought.
Lee Garam.
That man was a pathetic human.
A family wastrel. A useless prodigal. If left alone, he might have keeled over in some back alley—a worthless human.
Stuffed full of greed and inferiority, yet lacking the ability or courage to fill them—a pathetic human.
It was Seria who had saved him when he was cornered by gambling debts and captured by a villain organization.
His political rivals falling one by one to scandals was her handiwork.
His more capable cousins in the family meeting mysterious accidents? The same.
Lee Garam, running independent, miraculously winning the Neo Incheon mayoral election—and afterward, all opposition and blunders swept under the rug—all thanks to Seria's touch.
The sole reason Seria had placed the oversized mantle of Neo Incheon mayor on Lee Garam was simple.
Because he was easy to manipulate.
Over the past few years, she had covered his petty corruptions, fed his childish greeds, and tamed him into the perfect puppet.
The right amount of money. The right amount of pleasure. Toss those two in, and he became the most loyal tool imaginable.
Never doubting, never questioning—just dangling from the puppeteer's strings, dancing to command.
A little rabbit that couldn't even meet her eyes, trembling at the mere sound of her voice.
Such a human.
Seria shifted her gaze to another monitor.
[Neo Incheon Mayor Lee Garam Hits 58.5% Approval Rating. Shatters All-Time Record]
[The Sleeping Dragon Awakens! Citizens Rave Over Mayor Lee Garam's Moves]
[Zodiac, Hero Association, Red Mandarine... All in One Month? The Secret to His Miraculous Leadership?]
Sleeping dragon.
Seria rolled the word around in her mouth.
A dragon lurking submerged, biding its time.
What a grandiose, laughable expression.
Was that man vessel enough to become a dragon?
No. Not in the slightest. Never.
The world says a carp that passes the dragon gate becomes a dragon. But that's the carp's tale.
What if a minnow passed the dragon gate?
Become a dragon? Fat chance.
The answer was simple. Just fried up in oil to make tasty bar snacks.
Yet that minnow on the screen was now imitating a dragon—and convincingly so.
An approval graph rocketing vertically. Media coverage exploding fivefold in the past month.
All credited to that man.
"Coincidence..."
The Zodiac sweep from changed patrol routes? Coincidence.
Corruption exploding from the Hero Association audit? Coincidence.
Even dismantling the drug ring at Club Nebula? Coincidence.
"No way it's all coincidence."
There are no coincidences in this world.
Only inevitability exists.
Or outcomes whose causes haven't been grasped yet.
So, what was the cause?
Hypothesis 1: Lee Garam was actually a once-in-a-generation genius strategist, all an act.
His incompetent, sleazy facade a disguise for his true self.
An enticing hypothesis. But dismissed immediately.
Recall his antics earlier that day. Absurd.
If he was a genius, there'd be no fools left in the world.
Hypothesis 2: Lee Garam was just a fool born with heaven's luck.
Even less convincing. Luck is a variable, not a constant.
One or two successes could be chalked up to luck, but this streak of home runs? Impossible.
The world's systems aren't built that sloppily.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
She lightly drummed her fingers on the desk.
"Something definitely changed."
Lee Garam had been a man who flinched and backed away at the mere brush of her hand passing documents—not even seeing her as a woman.
A rabbit gripped by terror. That was the precise definition of Lee Garam.
Yet that rabbit suddenly harassing her one day? Charging at a predator?
"...Impudent."
Seria lightly licked her lips.
Yes. Impudent.
But that impudence was strangely not unpleasant.
Rather—
"Now it's far more fun."
The corner of Seria's mouth twisted ever so slightly—almost imperceptibly.
Fun.
This was an amusing phenomenon.
The old Lee Garam had been a simple, predictable constant. A well-programmed machine spitting out precise outputs for every input. Boring, but useful.
But this Lee Garam was a lump of variables. An unpredictable rugby ball. An unknown entity whose next move couldn't even be guessed.
"Was he hiding this side all along? For all that time?"
She leaned back deeply into her chair. The cold leather enveloped her back.
Erebos's goal was singular.
To shatter the stale old world order and usher in a new era from the ruins.
A stable power structure. A hardened system.
The top 10 corporations, the Hero Association, and the government.
Chaos to topple this iron triangle.
And the current Lee Garam was sowing that chaos better than anyone.
Whether his intentions were good or evil, genius or fool—it didn't matter.
The 'change' he wrought itself was key. A stone hurled into still waters. The ripples spreading outward.
Every action of his was shaking the massive gameboard of Neo Incheon.
Chipping at the Hero Association's authority, dismantling villain organizations, rising as a new power center backed by the citizens.
A change rattling the stable board.
Chaos far faster, more dynamic, and utterly unpredictable than planned.
The largest central screen. Footage from CCTVs planted throughout Lee Garam's penthouse.
On it, a pathetic man lay sprawled starfish-style on a king-sized bed, sleeping.
"Looks like I need to keep watching a bit longer."
Her voice seeped softly into the silence.
"My mayor."
Click—
Success.
What a sweet word. Success. Success. Victory. Call it whatever you like.
Wasn't humanity's civilization, built over thousands of years, the fruit of endless craving for success?
And I, Lee Garam, had succeeded.
My perfect, meticulous, audacious 'Harass the Female Secretary Project' had achieved flawless victory.
Days had passed since the day of reckoning.
Seria no longer suspected me. The sharp glint in her eyes, probing to unearth my true nature, had vanished. The natural outcome.
I had firmly imprinted it on her, after all.
'Lee Garam is nothing but an irredeemable sleazy pervert boss harassing his female subordinate with his power.'
Now, in her mind, I had plummeted from suspicion target to object of contempt.
Worthless, filthy, repulsive. A bug not even worth exploiting.
Yes, exactly.
I had slipped off Seria's radar. Freedom. Peace. Repose.
All that remained was to quietly stash my slush funds and await the day I could escape this hellhole Neo Incheon.
I sank deep into the mayor's office sofa and let out a satisfied sigh.
The sky visible through the window was clearer and bluer than ever. Just like my future.
Knock knock.
A light knock, and the door opened.
"Mayor, do you have a moment?"
"Uh, uh, yeah. Come in."
It was Seria who entered. She carried a tray with a steaming coffee cup.
"You've been staring at documents all morning, so I thought you might be tired. I brought coffee."
"Ah, thanks. Just set it there."
I answered as indifferently as possible. No need to panic in front of her anymore. I was already 'that kind' of guy to her.
Seria approached silently and placed the cup on the table.
But something was off.
She wasn't leaving.
Normally, she'd finish her business and turn on her heel like a blade.
Instead, she elegantly sat on the sofa opposite me. Crossing her legs like a model stepped from a fashion magazine.
"......?"
What? Why wasn't she going?
"Mayor."
She called me. Those turquoise eyes fixed straight on me.
"How's your condition today?"
"Eh? Good. Very good."
"I'm glad. A few days ago, you looked quite pale. Especially when you were desperately reaching for my shoulder. I was worried about your blood circulation."
Cough!
The coffee I'd been sipping caught in my throat.
Why bring that up again? Wasn't it over?
"Cough, ahem! Th-that was... I was just tired that day..."
"I see. I thought you were sending me some special signal. Such a fervent, heated gaze. It's truly... unforgettable."
Her lips didn't twitch, but I saw it clearly. Her eyes were laughing. Mocking me.
"N-no! Misunderstanding! Pure goodwill! Right, a boss's warm concern for his subordinate!"
"Warm concern... intriguing. Usually, that's expressed with words, not hands. Your communication style is quite unique, Mayor."
"......"
This wasn't right. Something was wrong.
This wasn't the reaction I'd anticipated. Cold dismissal laced with contempt and disgust. That's what it should have been.
This was... the look of a child discovering a fun new toy.
"Why... why are you sticking around? Didn't you only come when needed before?"
It slipped out unconsciously.
Seria tilted her head slightly. That tiny motion sent my heart plummeting.
"Who knows. Why do you think?"
"I'm asking you!"
"Your recent actions have been so unpredictable, Mayor. It's worth observing. I'm curious what outlandish surprise you'll pull next."
Curious?
Expectant?
Did that woman just say 'expect'?
A trickle of cold sweat ran down my spine.
Something was wrong. Suspicion's glare was gone, but the curious gaze that replaced it felt far more chilling and dangerous.
'Maybe... not enough?'
Yeah. Maybe my acting had been a tad clumsy. My harassment too tame, not enough impact.
In that case.
I needed a stronger blow.
I steeled myself with grim resolve.
"Seria."
I rose from the sofa and approached her, face as sleazy and lecherous as I could muster.
"Truth is... what I meant to say that day wasn't that."
"Oh?"
Her eyes narrowed.
"I wanted to tell you your eyes are more beautiful than the stars in the night sky."
Ugh. This cringe line. Third-rate drama gold.
I reached for her hand. This time, I'd make her freak out for sure.
Before my hand met hers, Seria softly grasped my wrist first.
And brought it to her cheek.
"Eh?"
My brain stalled.
Soft.
Her hand was cool, her cheek warm.
Not the time for such thoughts.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Seria gazed up at me intently.
Her stare so close I could see every single eyelash crystal clear.
"Mayor. Is that all?"
"......"
No chance to resist. No thought of refusal even crossed my mind.
"How cute."
Crash.
The sound of walls crumbling in my head.
Enlightenment.
It always comes suddenly. Like a storm or an earthquake.
I hadn't succeeded in dodging suspicion.
No—suspicion was gone, but something far worse had taken its place.
Interest.
Seria's interest.
Scenes from the original story flashed through my mind.
Those who piqued her 'interest.' Competent rivals who hindered the plan. Executives who tried to betray the organization.
Their fates were all the same.
Thoroughly exploited, wrung dry, then met miserable ends.
Better to be suspected than draw interest. A hundred—no, a thousand times better.
Suspicion could be cleared. Interest... the black's interest only ended in death!
"......Ah."
Seria released my wrist with a satisfied smile, then stood.
"Then, I'll take my leave. I'm looking forward to whatever new side you show next, Mayor."
She gave a light nod and exited the mayor's office.
Left alone, I stood there dazed for a long while.
What should I do? How do I escape that being's interest?
Right. That's it.
I'd been too complacent all this time.
Zodiac sweep, association audit, drug ring takedown. Even harassing the secretary.
Every one of my scenarios failing because of the competence of the city hall staff, Seria included.
Places beyond the mayor's authority. Places the staff's competence couldn't reach.
I needed to cause trouble there.
Drop a massive shit-stain even Seria couldn't clean up.